Caring for those we love
by SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: Prompt fic short: sick!Remy Spencer!Summers


_Just another prompt fic, folks. As the summary said, sick!Remy was what I was asked for, and people seem thrilled with the Spencer!Summers stories right now, so that was added in. This is what y'all get. I hope you like it, my lovelies! :)_

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Spencer's concern grew the further into the boathouse he went. The place was a wreck. Dust was on everything, there were things knocked over, burn marks left in ways that Spencer knew meant Remy had charged and exploded some things. As he passed through and made his way toward the bedroom, his concern grew by leaps and bounds. By the time he reached the bedroom, he was desperate to find his friend. A gentle probing told him there was only one person on the other side of the door. What he did feel had him worrying. There was an ache, deep and painful, but with this sort of numbness around the edges. The emotions he felt were fragile, barely held together, and so close to splitting apart. That was enough to have him forgetting any of his usual manners. Cracking the door open, Spencer poked his head in without bothering to knock, something Remy had told him over and over again that he was free to do. "Remy?" He called out in a soft voice. When he looked in, he saw the lump on the bed that could only be the Cajun's form covered under blankets. Spencer let himself in, shutting the door behind him before hurrying over toward the bed. The emotions didn't even shift as he did.

Without hesitation, Spencer toed his shoes off and climbed right into the large bed. There were enough blankets on here to warm half a dozen people. Lifting the edge, Spencer slid himself into the little burrow Remy had built. He didn't bother speaking again; he knew Remy was asleep. He could feel it. Instead, he reached out over the link that was always there between them, letting the love he felt for the man flow over it to him. Then he reached out and pulled Remy into his arms while keeping the love flowing the whole time. If he had simply reached for the man it would've been a good way to get attacked. Remy could go from asleep to defensive in the blink of an eye and heaven help someone who thought to take the sleeping Cajun unawares. Spencer had learned to push emotion over their link before reaching for him if he snuck into the man's bed or if he was sent to wake him. That let Remy know it was him that was touching him. So long as they fell asleep next to one another, though, there was no problem.

Remy's body twitched in his hold and he felt as the man slowly woke. That had Spencer's brows furrowing. Since when did Remy wake slowly? He might not always wake happy, but he always woke quickly and was generally instantly alert. Too many years spent watching his back on the streets or in different hells had taught him the art of sleeping lightly and waking quickly. Now it was like he struggled awake through a fog. Eyes slowly blinked open and it took a moment before the dull orbs managed to lock on Spencer. "Penny?"

That mumbled, slightly slurred word was the final straw for Spencer. He began to worry that Remy's warm skin wasn't just from having this many blankets on him. In a flash he changed his entire game plan. One hand came up to stroke over Remy's cheek. "Yeah, Me-me. Your Penny's here." No one else but Remy would've ever dared to call Spencer 'Penny'. But it was Remy's nickname for him, one that Spencer rolled his eyes over much the way Scott did when Remy called him Scotty or Logan did when Remy called him Wolvie. "Scotty called me to come out. He's worried about you."

"Been wantin' to call y'." Remy slurred. He rubbed his stubbly cheek against Spencer's hand. "_Mais_ I couldn't. Y' get too mad."

Mad? Oh, this really didn't sound good. What had happened could be a worry for later, though. Right now he needed to worry about the most immediate threat and that was Remy's health. He needed to get him up and to the Med Lab and Remy definitely wasn't going to like that. Spencer let his thumb rub over Remy's high cheekbone, brushing against the heated skin in a gesture meant to be soothing. "Well I'm here now, Me-me. I'm here and I'm going to take care of you now. Do you trust me?"

Some soft sound came from Remy, followed by a mumbled "course."

Spencer smiled at the man. "Then it's time to get up. Come on now, let's get you sitting up."

Slowly but surely he moved Remy, using the arm he had around the man to help him leverage him up. As the blankets slid away, Remy scooted closer to Spencer's body and shivered. "'S cold." He whined. Cold? Remy was cold? With as heated as his skin was, Spencer had his confirmation. The heat on Remy's skin wasn't from the blankets. If his skin was that hot and he was shivering, he had a fever. Dammit. A sick Remy was a dangerous Remy. They were lucky he hadn't blown his room apart yet and sent the boathouse crashing down on him. Shit. Spencer's movements quickened. With encouraging words and hands that were stronger than many people might've realized, he got Remy not only up but moving as well. He didn't bother changing his clothes; Remy was dressed enough in a pair of plaid pajama pants and a LSU sweatshirt. The only stop they made was in the living room, where Spencer sat him on the couch long enough to get his shoes on and then his coat.

By now Remy was more alert, his steps just a little easier. Spencer kept one arm around Remy's waist and had Remy's arm up and over his shoulders so he could holding the man's wrist to try to keep him upright. "Just hold on tight to me, Remy." He warned him. "It's going to get very cold for a moment before we get warm again, okay? But I promise I'll get us there as quickly as possible. It'll just take us a moment to get to the mansion."

"_Non_." Remy cried in a voice suddenly much stronger than before. He tried to pull backward before they even got out the door. "Don't make Remy go dere. _S'il tu plait_, cher. Don't make Remy go dere."

The ache in those words and the terror and heartache suddenly in their link was almost enough to drop Spencer where he stood. He locked his knees to keep upright under the onslaught and he tried to project calm and love. "I'll be with you the whole time, Remy. I won't leave you alone even for an instant, okay? You'll be perfectly safe up there. No one is going to hurt you."

But he was shaking his head already and babbling, barely managing to make any sense. "_Non, non_. M' shields, Penny. Dey're no strong. Everyt'ing, Remy feels too much. Too much."

Oh, why hadn't he thought of that? Dammit! Remy's shields always lowered when he was sick. It was just as dangerous as his accidentally charging things while sick. Spencer mentally cursed himself before locking that away. He sent feelings of reassurance to his best friend. "I told you, I won't leave you. You feel me right now? I want you to focus on that, okay? I'll shield you as best as I can. Just focus on me and what I feel…" Little by little, he coaxed Remy out of the house, drawing him slowly but surely toward the mansion.

He hoped against hope that they wouldn't run into anyone once they were inside. A stupid hope, he knew. This was a school; there were going to be people here. They were barely inside and just heading to the hall when they not only ran into someone, but they ran into one of the worst possible choices. Warren. The man stepped out of a room right in front of them, almost knocking them over. As soon as they straightened and Spencer realized who it was, he tried to make a quick apology and hurry past. It didn't work. "Jesus, Gambit." Warren said with a sneer. "Can't you at least save your benders for when no one has to see you?"

"Shut up, Warren." Spencer said with a sigh. He tightened his grip on Remy's wrist and waist, feeling the way the man twitched and the flash of pain that echoed over him. Turning his head, he squeezed Remy in close, murmuring "Focus on me, Remy. Remember that. Focus on me." To help, he fed more love and reassurance to the other man, trying to wrap it around him and insulate him against the pain of Warren's anger and disgust.

Warren wasn't done with them, though. He stepped in front of them, deliberately blocking their path. "You should at least know better, Reid." No matter what, Warren never failed to call him Reid. It was like a subtle dig; a reminder that he wasn't considered good enough to be a Summers. Smug bastard. "Or do you not even care about embarrassing your brother like this, bringing Gambit in this way while he's so obviously drunk?"

When Warren got like this, one either ended up in a pissing match with him, or one had to find a way to extract from the situation. Right now Spencer didn't have the time or the patience to argue with him or to even try to talk his way out of this. There was one easy way to get free, though. Down the hall Spencer felt two people he knew would stop this. "Brace yourself. I'm about to get loud for a second." He warned Remy softly. Then he raised his voice and called out "Scotty! Logan!" as loudly as he could. The surprised look on Warren's face made Spencer want to grin. He would've if Remy hadn't given a sway then. All of Spencer's attention was focused on holding the man upright. "Remy, honey, come on now. Hang on to me. Everything's okay. I've got you."

"What the hell is going on here?" Scott demanded as he strode out of his office. "Spencer? Why…." At the sight of Remy his words cut off and he was almost racing forward, Logan right behind him. "What happened?"

Spencer leveraged Remy better against his side, appreciating it as Scott took Remy's other arm and braced it over his shoulders. "He's sick, fevered, and his shields are shot to hell. If you can't concentrate on calming emotions, let go now. I didn't want to yell but Worthington here felt the need to give us a no-drinking speech and wouldn't move."

"Remy fine." The man said in a voice that was just a little more slurred than before. "Don' need to worry."

"Of course you are. But just in case, we're going to have Hank look at you anyways." Spencer said lightly as they started back down the hall. Logan walked in front of them, getting the elevator going for them. Spencer squeezed Remy's hip lightly as they helped him in, making sure to keep up the warm emotions. He paid no attention to Scott or Logan despite the concern he could feel from them. His attention was focused on Remy right now and that was where it needed to be. That was why he was here. The others could all be dealt with later. He would take care of what was most important right now.

The elevator opened to the lower levels and the group made their way out. Remy abruptly seemed to realize where they were and his body started to move, trying to pull back and away from them. A sense of terror started to leak into the group, pouring out of him. Spencer stopped, casting a quick look to Scott and mouthing for him to let go. As soon as his brother did, Spencer pulled Remy in close, shifting his grip so that he could pull Remy flush against him. It highlighted to him just how much weight his friend had lost. Spencer ignored that for the moment and instead focused on holding the man in his arms. It worked perfectly to still his slight struggles. Now that he had him close, Spencer brought Remy's head down, pulling lightly on his neck until Remy's head was resting on his shoulder. That allowed him to stroke his fingers through his beautiful hair. Unworried about the eyes on him, Spencer sent calm over the link, twining it in with the love. "It's going to be okay, Remy. Everything's going to be fine. Focus on me, remember? Focus right here on me."

"Penny." The name was a whisper, just a little frayed at the edges. "Don't wanna. _S'il tu plait_, don't wanna go in dere."

Spencer made a soothing sound and continued to stroke Remy's hair. "I know you don't. But you're sick, Remy. You've got a fever and your shields are nonexistent. You and I both know that if we don't get you better, you won't be able to stop other emotions from hitting you and you're going to start blowing things up. I know that you don't want to do that. Let me take you in there to Hank and I promise you that, unless it is a matter of life or death, I won't let him keep you. I'll take you back to the boathouse and care for you myself, okay?"

He made some soft sound against Spencer's neck. Then, in a voice Scott and Logan had never heard him use before, Remy whispered "Y' stay wit' Remy?"

"The whole time. I'll stay with you and I will never completely let go unless it is totally necessary."

Remy murmured something in Cajun that had Spencer shushing him and pulling him just a little closer. "You are not being a baby. Now, are you ready?"

After a pause, the man nodded. Spencer kept him cradled close, simply shifting him to the side and walking with him that way. Scott and Logan followed silently behind, unsure of what to do. They wanted to help yet Spencer seemed to have his friend firmly in hand in a take-charge sort of way they'd never really seen from him. To be honest, Scott had expected quite a bit more of a fight from Remy as soon as he realized where Spencer was taking him. But Remy was tucked against his friend's side and scrawny little Spencer was cradling him protectively, leading him right into the Med Lab that Remy so hated. When they were in, Spencer started toward a bed, ignoring Bobby, Jean and Kurt who were over at another set of tables where Hank appeared to be finishing wrapping a bandage on Bobby's arm. The doctor saw Spencer and Remy and he was suddenly handing the bandaging to Jean. "Would you mind finishing wrapping this for me?" he asked. At her nod, he hurried over to the two. "What can I do for you today, gentlemen?"

"Remy's got a fever, Hank." Spencer said plainly. He felt Remy tensing and rubbed soothingly at his arm. "He's sick and his shields are nonexistent right now. Would you mind taking a look at him?"

Surprise had Hank staring for just a moment. Remy didn't come down simply to be 'looked at'. He only came down when forced and only when seriously injured. Otherwise, he was the perfect example of an 'I'm fine' kind of guy. Hank recovered quickly and hurried toward them. "Of course. Up on this table, please."

Nodding, Spencer caught Hank's eye, mouthing 'Draw blood first' to him so that Remy wouldn't hear. The kind doctor caught the hint and nodded his agreement. They knew that was the worst part for Remy. His fear seemed stronger with the needles.

Spencer helped boost Remy up onto the bed and then surprised some of their observers by hitching himself up there as well. He sat behind his friend, putting a leg on either side of him and reaching around with his hands to take hold of Remy's wrists. With one hand he hugged Remy's waist while he used his hold on Remy's other wrist to stretch his arm out. "Now, I want you to hold still and behave." Spencer told him almost teasingly while he pushed the sleeve on that arm up. "Hank needs to draw some blood." As he said the words, he tightened his grip, knowing what Remy's reaction would be. Sure enough, the man jolted, instinctively trying to curl his arms in around himself. Spencer kept his grip tight on Remy's wrist and held that arm out. "No, Remy. Don't fight this." He turned his head in and nuzzled against Remy's neck in a gesture that might've been sexual at any other time but now simply looked soothing. "And don't you dare blow the needle, either. I'll be right here the whole time and I won't let go. Not once."

A tremor ran down Remy's body. Even sick and not all the way there, the terror of lab work was enough to have him shaking. "_Tu promets_?"

"I promise." Spencer murmured. He lifted his eyes, looking to Hank and giving him a brief nod to let him know it was safe. Then he brought his attention back to the man he was cradling. He whispered in Remy's ear, a low steady murmur of reassurances, and he kept the emotions warm in their link. Right now he wasn't actually shielding Remy, but more giving him an anchor to hold on to. If Remy couldn't focus well enough, though, Spencer was going to have to exert a little more energy and extend his own shields over to Remy's mind as well. It could be an exhausting thing to do and so he didn't want to do it until he had to.

The blood was drawn quickly. The entire time, Remy quivered visibly in Spencer's hold, his face turned in toward Spencer. The young genius leaned his head in enough that Remy's forehead was against Spencer's temple. From the corner of his eye he saw as Hank pulled the needle from Remy's skin and pressed a cotton swab there to stop the small drop of blood. "He's done with the needle now." Spencer soothed his friend. "You did so well, Remy. You're doing so well. Now we just need to do the exam, okay? You know how this part of things goes. He'll take your temperature, listen to your heart, all of those things that come with a physical. But I'm going to be right here and just like I promised, I'm not letting go of you. I'm staying right here." His hands slipped up from Remy's wrists to let their fingers lace together. It allowed Remy to give his hands a trembling squeeze.

The two were mindless of the eyes on them. As Hank started his exam, five sets of eyes were watching the trio by the bed, amazed at the way Spencer seemed to perfectly have the situation under control. Even more amazing was the way that Remy seemed to be so, well…so _exposed_ at the moment. It was as if his masks were gone. There was no cockiness on his face or in his slurred words; no 'I'm fine' or other such platitudes coming from him. If anything, he was almost like a scared child, curled protectively inside the embrace of someone he so obviously trusted. Every time Hank touched him, Remy jolted just a little or would make some soft sound and Spencer would whisper to him or nuzzle at his cheek or give him a soft squeeze and somehow manage to keep him there and still.

Hank wrote a few things down on his chart after he'd finished his basic examination. He let out a sigh and lifted his head to look at the two on the table. "I'll need to run a few tests on the blood I gathered." He told them cautiously. There was concern written visibly on his face. "He has a fever that, though not too high, is higher than I'd like to see. Just by looks alone, I would estimate he needs to put on at least fifteen pounds. He shows signs of malnourishment. His body needs food and fluids as well as some vitamins. I have no true medial history for him, so I'm unsure if he has any allergies and I'm loathe to test any out while he's in a weakened condition. I'd like to start an IV immediately and start pumping him full of fluids."

"No." Spencer said the word even as Remy's whole body started to tense. He let go of one of Remy's hands and soothingly stroked the man's arm, but his eyes stayed on Hank. "No IV. Even if he'd allow it, which he wouldn't, right now his shielding is too low and he'd most likely blow the needle while he slept."

"Blow the needle?"

Surprise filled Spencer for a second before resignation too its place. With as much as Remy hated this place, of course no one here would know what could happen when he was stressed or sick. He was more the type to hide out for a while until he felt better if something happened to him. He didn't normally get colds like the rest of the world did, either, so they would've have seen him 'sick'. Even when he wasn't feeling well, Spencer was typically the only person in these parts he'd let take care of him. "When he's ill like this, he loses some of his control just as anyone else does. If he gets scared and you've got a needle in him, he'll charge it without realizing it and he can blow the needle. You'd have to keep him sedated the whole time you had it in just to guarantee that he wouldn't do it."

A sigh slid from Hank. "Well, seeing as how sedatives do not work properly on him, that is not an option. Nor is it one I would consider at any rate. Though I do wish I could do it at least long enough to get him some sleep. He looks as if he has not been sleeping properly either."

"Are you kidding me?" This time Spencer couldn't quite keep his surprise under control. He fought to keep it and his annoyance shielded from the man he held, not wanting to upset Remy or hurt him. The body he held gave a twitch and he took a second to soothe Remy again, soothing himself a little at the same time. He couldn't stop himself from scolding slightly, though. How on earth had Remy not told them what could knock him out? "When you feel better, you and I are having a long talk about secrets, Remy LeBeau. But not now." Spencer turned once more to look at the doctor. "I'll take care of his sleep. What I need to know is if he's in any immediate danger. I know the steps for fixing this in the long run, but for now I need to know how severely he's managed to damage himself physically. What kind of diet would you recommend and what restrictions would you apply, Hank?"

When Hank hesitated, obviously unsure about this, Scott took a step forward. "Go ahead, Hank. This isn't the first time Spencer's taken care of Remy, it appears. I trust him to do what's best."

That reassurance seemed to be enough for now. Hank gave Spencer a rundown on what kind of diet Remy should have, how to increase it to help regain strength, what things needed to be watched for and what things could be done to help. As he wound down, he sighed and reached out, stroking a lock of hair off of Remy's forehead. Sometime during the speech, the Cajun had actually drifted off to sleep, nestled there in Spencer's arms. "There is only so much we can do for him with the way his body reacts to medication. There is no telling how long this has been going on, but judging by his weight loss, I would say it has been far too long."

Spencer shook his head before looking down at Remy. _Oh, honey, what happened to you?_ "Not necessarily." He told his friends. "Remy's body constantly generates bio-kinetic energy, part of what allows him to charge things the way he does. It also makes him physically geared for constant motion. Because of that, he can burn what he eats rather quickly. Add on that he didn't eat much through his growing years and you have a body that's naturally slender and tends to lose weight rather easily. Weight loss like this with his physiology, I would estimate somewhere around a week, give or take, that he hasn't been eating properly, if at all. Plus, he's always at least five pounds under what I'd like to see him at."

"I believe you and I need to sit down and have a long conversation, my young friend." Hank said slowly. "I have learned more about our Cajun comrade's medical history in this single exam than I have in the entire time I've known him."

A soft scowl covered Spencer's face. "Trust me, he and I are going to have a long talk about that. Why the fool hasn't at least given you some basics, I have no idea. I won't give you his complete history, Hank. I can't betray him that way. But I do promise that I'll take some time to show you the medication I've found for him." At the confused looks of the whole room, Spencer shrugged, shifting a little. "I have some of Remy's…medical data from a certain place. Using the information and findings in there, I worked with the formula and I've managed to discover certain types of things that he can take without destroying the world around him or harming himself. Not much, but enough to handle emergencies. I also have some herbs and things that I've found for him on my own that work for certain things. Why he hasn't been using them, I do not know. Between Mattie and I, we keep him supplied in herbs."

Hank shook his head at the two of them. Still, he smiled slightly. "I do know that I'm scheduling his appointments with me while you are here from now on. I have never had him sit so easily through an examination. Then again, that may have something to do with the fever as well."

"It's easier when he's not sick." Spencer countered. He started to move, carefully extracting himself from behind Remy while making sure to never let go of him. "If he's well, I just bribe him with his favorite food. He's easy enough to manage then."

From off to the side, Bobby let out a laugh. "So the way to get him to listen is to make a pot of gumbo?"

Spencer finally managed to get off the table without dropping Remy. The older man had woken up, though. He was looking at Spencer with eyes that were slightly glassy. It didn't worry Spencer. Now that he knew Hank's recommendation, he knew how bad off Remy really was. The fever itself wasn't toward a danger level, though it was higher than he liked. The rest of it, the weight and such, could be handled. No, what worried Spencer was the reason behind all of this. It wasn't a simple cold. That had become abundantly clear during the examination. There was nothing else to indicate this was a cold. No runny nose, plugged sinuses, sore throat. Nothing like that. This was something else entirely and Spencer had a feeling he knew what it was even if he didn't know the circumstances. If they weren't careful, this could progress to a real cold as well and that was the last thing they needed.

Finally registering Bobby's words, Spencer let out a laugh while he slipped one of Remy's arms around his shoulders. "Gumbo? Cajun he may be, but that doesn't make gumbo automatically his favorite."

"What is, then?" Jean asked.

With one smooth move, Spencer slid Remy down off the bed while keeping him close at the same time, making sure the man didn't fall. "That's easy. Beer battered chicken with steak fries and homemade spicy cheese sauce."

To the amusement of the room, Scott made a little moaning sound. When everyone looked at him, he raised his eyebrows. "What? Listen, don't laugh until you've tried it. Sherlock doesn't make it often, but when he does…oh, man. Now I'm hungry."

Laughter echoed around the room, the emotions around them warm and happy, which was exactly what Scott and Spencer both had been aiming for. Maybe they couldn't keep Remy perfectly shielded but they could make sure the emotions around him were happy. Remy felt heavy against his side, obviously not that alert. He was just too tired. Spencer took a second to think before deciding that he needed to do something different. His eyes lifted and locked on Logan. "Logan, would you mind giving me a hand? He's mostly asleep as it is."

The feral man understood easily and nodded. While he came up to them, Spencer turned his head to Remy and cupped the man's cheek. "Me-me, you're sick and you're tired and the last thing you need is to be walking right now, so Logan's going to help get you back to the boathouse, okay? I'm coming with you too, but Logan's going to carry you. Okay?"

"'kay."

Logan was gentle as he put his arm around Remy. "Just lean in, Gumbo. I got ya." Then he bent, swiping one arm behind Remy's legs and easily lifting him up, cradling him in his arms. Remy took his advice and leaned in, resting his head against Logan's shoulder. With one last "Thank you again!" for Hank, Spencer hurried out of the room, following his friends. He had a lot to do.

It didn't surprise him that Jean followed them out into the hallway. When they were in the elevator, Spencer turned toward her. "Jean? Is there any chance I might be able to persuade you to do a favor for me?"

"What is it?" She asked.

"I was wondering if you might be able to put together some things from the kitchen that fit in with the diet plan Hank listed and send them down toward the boathouse. I doubt we'll be leaving there for the next little while and I don't want to have to trudge back and forth for each mealtime."

Her smile was warm and bright. "Of course! Don't worry about it, sweetie. I'll get things together for you two."

He had known she would. Jean was very much the 'house mother' for this place. She tried to take care of just about everyone, whether they let her or not. He'd known she would agree to gathering food for them and he knew she'd also make sure it was food that fit into Hank's guidelines. With that worry off his mind, Spencer was able to focus on the most important thing right now, which was getting Remy down to the boathouse and into bed.

Their little caravan drew a few surprised eyes as they passed people. Spencer and Scott were in the lead with Logan right behind them, Remy still cradled close in his arms. They made their way from the mansion and down to the boathouse. Spencer didn't think of warning them before he brought them inside. The surprised sounds they made at the sight of the place reminded him that cleaning was also on his list. That could wait, though. First, bed. "This way." He told Logan. Together, they went up the stairs and to the bedroom. Spencer beat them there and was already pulling blankets back when Logan came in. With one hand the genius gestured for him to lay their friend down. Once he had, Spencer pulled off his shoes and then sat him up long enough to get his coat off. Then he laid Remy back down and lifted a few blankets, tucking them around him. With one hand he smoothed Remy's bangs back from his forehead. "Just get some sleep, honey." He murmured to him. "I'll be downstairs for a bit but then I'll come back and lay with you, okay? All you need to do is shout if you need me and I promise I'll come running."

He made sure Remy was fully settled before he rose and made his way out of the room. Logan followed him out quietly,

Scott was standing in the middle of all the chaos when Spencer and Logan got back downstairs. Stopping in the space between the dining room and the living room, Spencer looked around and let out a sigh before lifting his gaze to Scott. "Thanks for calling me."

"Thanks for coming." Scott said. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Now what the hell is going on here? Are you telling me all this is because he's sick?"

That had Spencer shaking his head. "No, no. Technically, he's not _sick_. Not in the conventional sense of the word. I have a few theories but I don't want to speculate until I've all the facts. Can you tell me when you first noticed something off? How long ago did he seem to change?"

It was Logan who answered first. "I noticed bout two weeks ago."

"Everyone's been a little off since then." Scott interjected. Looking to his brother, he saw his confusion and quickly explained. "One of our safe houses was threatened. By the time we got there, the place was being torched. We saved everyone but there were quite a few injuries there, especially among the children. It hit all of us a little hard. We had them here for about a week until we found them somewhere new to go."

For a second Spencer could only stare. _Oh, Remy_ he thought to himself. A sigh slid through Spencer and his eyes closed. "Let me guess…Remy helped with rescue and then with the children, right? I imagine you'd put him there because he does wonderful with the kids and he can usually get them smiling and laughing no matter what. So I can see that he would've been assigned to the kids as you guys ran a kind of triage or such."

"Yes…" Scott said slowly.

"When you guys got back that night, he probably looked just like the rest of you, stressed and tired. He probably played things down, made himself seem normal, but he would've slipped out without anyone realizing he'd done so. He would've gone to the Danger Room to try and burn things out and exhaust himself. When that didn't work, he probably came here, drank and smoked like a chimney and basically got no sleep whatsoever." Opening his eyes, Spencer looked around the room, his mind easily piecing together now what had happened to his friend. "For the next week he would've been trying to play a part, trying to be okay. He would've been with the kids, taking care of them, helping them. Making them laugh and making sure they weren't too scared." _Drawing in their pain, their fear, so that they wouldn't have to suffer, because Remy never can stand to see anyone hurting but especially not a child. _"He would've held it together until they were safely gone. Then, when more Danger Room sessions weren't working, he would've come here. From the looks of it, he burned some of that out at least." With that, he gestured to the scorch marks.

Logan and Scott were watching him with surprise. It was actually Logan who started to understand first, something that surprised Spencer. Then again, he wasn't sure _why_ it surprised him. When this happened to him, he always hid it from his brother, not wanting to terrify him. He had his own system to burn things out and it generally involved isolation, even though that was never healthy. "Wait a second." Logan lifted one hand, the comprehension dawning on his face. "Are ya saying Gumbo's, what, sick off what those kids were feeling?"

"That's one way of putting it." As he tried to figure out the words he wanted to use, Spencer started to move around the room. He pushed his sleeves up to his elbows before moving to right fallen items. Might as well start the cleanup process while he was talking. "Even with the best of shields and the best of training, empathy makes it almost impossible to resist someone in pain. It can be done, but it's hard. For Remy, it's especially hard when it's children. He cannot stop himself from trying to alleviate a child's pain. Granted, I can't say for certain, but I'm pretty sure that he's been drawing in their fear and their pain to try and ease them. Sometimes he does it on a light scale without even realizing that he's doing it. But this? I'd guess he drew in quite a lot. Too much."

Scott started to pick things up as well, righting a side table and the plant that had been on it. "So, the fever?"

"Is his body processing everything. By drawing too much in, he has to process it all and release it. Sometimes, when too much is drawn in and too many emotions fill the mind, it can become difficult to let it out. For Remy, it can create the fever you see, it can almost destroy his ability to shield, and it can trigger a major depressive episode. At least, if the emotions he draws in are negative. I'd say that's exactly what's happened." And had been happening for far too long. If he'd been doing this for a week and then living another week processing this, then they were all damn lucky he was as coherent as he was. Spencer braced a hand on the coatrack he'd just righted and let his eyes close on a sigh. "It's going to get worse before it gets better, I'm afraid. The next few days are going to be exceedingly difficult for him. I've got a line on him now that lets me know that he's asleep, but once I get things done here, at no point should he be left alone. We've been lucky so far."

Those words froze the room. He felt Scott and Logan's shock followed quickly by worry. "Is he a danger to himself or others?" Scott asked sharply.

Spencer opened his eyes and looked at the coatrack. He hated having to say this; it wasn't his business to be telling. But he was going to need these two over the next little while and they needed to understand what they were up against. Hopefully, Remy could forgive him this. "Himself. This kind of depressive episode, it can manifest with suicidal tendencies. Especially since…" _I'm sorry, Rems. I hope you understand why I'm doing this_. "…having other people's pain in him tends to bring his own to the forefront. His own pain from his past and from things he's lived through will combine with the pain from these other people and it becomes a sickness in his mind. Like a cancer, almost. And all of that is just this part of things. If we're lucky, that's all we'll have to deal with. If not, he'll get actually, honestly sick from his body's lowered internal defenses and then we'll have to battle a cold as well."

"Son of a bitch." Logan spat out. "What the hell do we do then? How do we fix this?"

Slowly Spencer turned toward them until once more he was facing them. "Usually it's just something that has to run its course. It has to burn out and then he'd rebuild his shielding. But this…it's gotten too far. He's going to need my help. All I need from you guys is to just be yourself. When you visit, be calm and supportive. Keep any negative emotions out of here. If you can't, then don't come down. If you're here and he's at a low point, don't berate him for being low, but talk him back up. Help remind him who he is and that he's someone special. That he's not alone anymore."

"And you? What're you going to do?" Scott asked.

A corner of Spencer's mouth quirked in a weary sort of smile. "Anchor him, shield him when need be, support him, and draw away some of the darkness. I need to pull that darkness back and let the light in for him so he can process the foreign emotions and old memories. Most of all, I'll love him. Just, love him. It's what he needs the most." With those quiet words, Spencer turned to look at the house. "Let's get this cleaned up. I want to be upstairs before he wakes up."


End file.
